MADRID, September 11, 2013 (AFP) - Dutch rider Bauke Mollema of the Belkin team won the 17th stage of the Tour of Spain in Burgos on Thursday as Italy's Vincenzo Nibali retained the overall race leader's red jersey.

Mollema, 26, who became something of a cult hero in his native Netherlands on his way to finishing sixth at this year's Tour de France, attacked at the end of the 189km ride from Calahorra to take the stage win ahead of Sky's Norwegian rider Edvald Boasson Hagen and Argentina's Maximiliano Richeze, of Lampre, who were second and third respectively.

The Dutchman's move completely took the peloton by surprise to recover some pride from a race in which he had been left trailing in the overall standings.

"I knew that this was my only chance to win a stage," Mollema told Spanish television at the end of a stage that had been earmarked as one for the sprinters. "I came to the Vuelta with ambitions to do well in the general classification, my team had designated me for that role, but it hasn't been possible and so we decided to go for stage wins instead."

Nibali and his principal rivals—the American veteran Chris Horner of RadioShack and Spanish duo Alejandro Valverde of Movistar and Joaquim Rodriguez of Katusha—reached the finish just behind Mollema and were given the same time as the stage winner.

However, several riders lost time after cracks appeared in the peloton when Ireland's Nicolas Roche and his Saxo-Tinkoff team attacked in crosswinds with just under 30 kilometers to go.

France's Thibaut Pinot and Italy's Domenico Pozzovivo were among the riders most affected, with both losing 1min 31sec on Nibali.

"It was a stage in which we needed to be wary from beginning to end. On paper it looked easy, but we saw what happened to two riders with high hopes in Pozzovivo and Pinot," commented Valverde at the finish.

While Pozzovivo and Pinot sit more than five and six minutes behind Nibali respectively, Roche climbs back into the top five in the overall standings, 3min 43sec behind the overall leader.

Horner sits second at 28sec, with Valverde third at 1min 14sec and Rodriguez fourth at 2min 29sec.

This year's Vuelta concludes in Madrid on Sunday but, before that, the peloton must prepare for a first-category finish on Thursday on the Pena Cabarga, where 'Purito' Rodriguez won in 2010.

And on Saturday there will be a finish atop the unclassified Alto de l'Angliru, at an altitude of 1,557 meters.

"I like this climb," said Nibali, winner of this year's Giro d'Italia and the 2010 Vuelta, of the Pena Cabarga. "I know it well from 2010 and 2011. In 2010, I remember that Purito was very good. We will see. It is a great finish."